Exploring the Bauhaus Heritage of Siemensstadt

Created around the Siemens factory in the second half of the 19th century, Siemensstadt is at the first sight nothing else than a concentration of living units for busy working people. What could it be so exciting to see here, after all, besides rows after rows of blocks of apartments, more or less lookalike?

It's partly true: indeed, Siemensstadt means mostly industrial simple architecture, plane and without a specific aesthetic appeal. However, there is a certain community spirit that is usually missing from the big neighbourhoods, but also an architectural heritage that owns a lot to the Bauhaus movement - more about it in a dedicated next post. Camera in one hand and notebook in the other, at the end of the last week I explored this relatively unknown neighbourhood, that surprised me more than once.

I started my journey at Rohrdamm station, on the U7 line, included on my list of Berlin's most beautiful metro stations. A couple of curiously-shaped constructions aimed to embelish the subway ventilation systems, reminding of native American prints, brings a splash of colour and an exotic note to the neighbourhood.

Siemensstadt was built in the Western part of Spandau, with its centers of power represented by the expanding Siemens factories. The red brownish-bricked buildings that still keep original constructions from two centuries ago are an example of industrial architecture, where simplicity and functionalism are used to send a message of prestige and clear power. 

Since its founding, Siemens permanently employed an important part of the local population, and having them close to the factory, while offering modest yet decent living conditions was part of the social planning. The Bauhaus movement, created in Weimar by Martin Gropius in the 1920s, was offering the right construction solution for the expanding working class: the emphasis on functional design while considering the social aspects. 

Gropius, together with Fred Forbat, Otto Bartning and Hans Scharoun, created at the end of the 1920s beginning of the third decade of the 20th century a so-called 'Siedlung' (translated as a 'housing development project') unique by its architectural diversity yet practical in its offer. Siemensstadt is one of the 4 such big projects in Berlin, together with Hufeisensiedlung in Britz, Weiße Stadt in Reinickendorf and Onkel-Tom Hütte in Zehlendorf. 

From outside, they look like small orderly boxes of matches. For each living unit, the learned architects - the representatives of the Bauhaus were knowledgeable not only in topics related to architecture, but Gropius encouraged the multi-disciplinary education such as knowing the physical properties of materials, painting and social sciences too - assigned around 54 sqm - 2 rooms - for a family of 4 persons.

The new living units were adapted to the challenges brought by the industrial revolution, offering to the Siemens workers access to various facilities, such as a laundry point - Wäscherei - at the end of one of the buildings. In addition, cultural and religious services, as well as childcare were part of the bigger offer of services included in the complex of buildings.

Nowadays, once you enter a specific area, you may find many announcements not only about available apartments to rent, but also about common activities, such as local historical and photography tours or just neighbourhood meetings.

If you are looking for some interesting examples of Bauhaus constructions, the best streets to explore are: Jungfernheideweg, Goebelplatz and Nonnendammallee.

My next stop is one U7 subway station away: Siemensdamm, where there are more Siemens administrative buildings and factories. In the front of the main building, a massive sculpture, signed by the architect of the Jewish Museum in Berlin, Daniel Libeskind, reverses the urban dynamic of the area: The Wings.

Given its non-central location, you hardly know about it. Initially presented at the Milan Expo 2015, it is a 3-part wing-shaped aluminium structure which comes together twice as the sculpture twists upward. 

It has a high of 18.47 meters, which amounts to the year when Siemens factory was created.

The fierce struggle of the wings that seems to fight against the forces of gravitation and levitate up into the skies enters a different dynamic stage with the 5,000 small LEDS enlightening the monumental work. I've visited the place during the day, therefore I couldn't spot fully the digital activities.

There are no 'wows' to utter at every corner and Instagrammable places in Siemensstadt. The over 10,000 people living here are busy at work, many of them for generations employed by Siemens. Even my expat friends working for the German giant preferred to move here, as the long working hours do not allow too much time to cross the city to a more fancier and glamorous neighbourhood. The rents are more than bearable and the life is safe, cheap and uneventful. The easy transport connections via the Ring and fast subway connection that initially pledged for locating the factory here are still among the main advantages of living and working here.

But there is a local life which you can hardly find in the other posh areas: at the local bookstore Bücher an Nonnendamm, there is hardly place left on the main door window for the announcements of weekend common activities. More than in any other parts of Berlin, there is a high concentration of Italian restaurants, at competition with typical German kneippe, and bakeries, among which the Backusilius, a small baking workshop, also family-friendly. 

You can easily live in Siemensstadt, in Bauhaus boxes of matches, included in the UNESCO World Heritage. Your history and the history of the place are growing up as a small sequence of the history of this city.

For more travel stories, follow my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ilanatravels

A Short Guide of Lichterfelde (Ost, Süd, West)

Bordered by the neighbourhoods of Steglitz, Dahlem and Zehlendorf, and at the border to Brandenburg, via Teltow, Lichterfelde - with its later sections East, South and West - started to get its noble residential outlook from the 19th century. Aimed to answer the new social status needs of the emerging Berlin middle class, this former village turned into an outstanding area of villas, whose residents were predominantly working in the financial domain or were officers of the Prussian Army.

A favorite area of the American representatives during the Cold War, the oldest villas' area of Berlin hardly changed. With its elegant villas with generous gardens and well-dressed ladies slowly heading to their favorite coffee place, walking this area is like entering a different time and social dimension. It is an image of what probably Berlin used to be in its bourgeois glory.

In the last ten years, I've been many times here, mostly to visit friends, but last year, I took a couple of long walks in various areas of Lichterfelde, eager to discover the different sides and secrets of this place.

You can easily reach Lichterfelde by S-Bahn or regional train, from, for instance, Sudkreuz train station, or by the buses crossing Dahlem-Zehlendorf area. You are still in the AB area. As it is a predominantly green area, with many houses hidden under the generous vegetation of the green yards, my recommendation is to visit this place in early spring - cherry blossom gives even more colour to the neighbourhood - or during the summer. The elegant coffees with outdoors table invites you to order a coffee and a classical piece of cake, the perfect companion for a good book. 

Lichterfelde Ost

First stop: Lichterfelde Ost S-Bahn Station.

One of my favorite time of the week to discover this part of Berlin was always on Sundays, midday. Serious people are having the weekly family lunch and you can hardly spot anyone outdoors - not that during any other times of the week you might cross path with more than 2-3 people, eventually walking their dogs. 

One of the most famous of the many beautiful residential places here is Villa Bernadotte, named after the famous WWII Swedish diplomat. A former research laboratory that was not hit during the Allies bombings during the war, it used to host a Jazz Club for the US soldiers while nowadays is a children and youth cultural center.

Walking the streets of Lichterfelde Ost always gave me the feeling of being somewhere out of the city. Quiet mews bordered by green bushes and discrete street lamposts are leading to modern residences with a small wooden bench in the front of the door. Jungfernsteig, for instance, was one of my favorite streets to walk on a peaceful Sunday, when only the heavy puffing engines of the vintage cars were troubling the overwhelming outdoor peace.

As eveywhere in Berlin, the range of restaurants covers almost every corner of the world. Once, we had a tasty stop at the welcoming Yogi Haus, serving simple Indian dishes. For the desserts, I've been more than once at Mia Gelateria, to get a spoon of icecream accompanied with some fresh warm waffles.

The area near the S-Bahn has a modest yet necessary selection of shopping, from big global retail brands to various German local brands and bio-stores. Kranoldplatz has a good offer in this respect, for instance.

But you can hardly think about going shopping, when the good weather calls you to explore the streets bordering the old villas. From Lorenzostraße to Prallelstraße, there are enough jewels of classical architecture to keep your camera busy and your mind hungry for the story of all those people that used to and still living here.

Next: Lichterfelde-Süd

Lichterfelde-Süd, situated around the area served by the S-Bahn with the same name, it is a completely different urban story. 

Similarly with the Gropius Stadt, here was built a urban colony aimed to answer the needs of the working class. Thermometersiedlung - as its parts are named after famous personalities with contributions in the field of temperature researches such as Celsius or Mercator - counts around 4,500 units in 10-floor blocks of flats organised in a compound which also includes a nursery, a church and various social institutions. 

As in the case of Gropiusstadt, the unemployment in this area is relatively higher compared with the rest of the Lichterfelde, and so is the criminality level. However, as in many such compounds, ther eis a sense of neighbourhood and community that you cannot find somewhere else. Erva's Backshop is an example in this respect and so is the local coffee place where the residents of different ages can gather together once in a while. The neighbourhood intercultural garden project is aimed to answer the new intercultural challenges of Berlin in the last years. 

Another unknown fact about Lichterfelde is that Otto Lilienthal, the pioneer of world aviation whose memorial house I've visited in Anklam a couple of years ago, lived in the area but his house doesn't exist any more. On the Fliegberg, mirroring a big carp pond with lazy ducks swimming back and forth, actually a small hill in the middle of a park, he tested some of his flying projects.

A massive monument in his memory was created with stairs integrated into the structure of the hill going on the top. 

An UFO-like structure with a big hole in the middle leaves the sun to enter the top of the monument, where a world globe made of black stone was set. The overall taste is not top, but from afar, it looks at least spectacular.

If not for the history, it is worth climbing to the top for the overview of the area, with its special industrial brutalist urban touch. Most of the buildings are relatively newly built, as the area has many abandoned places that were used by the US troops in Berlin as a training area, in the so-called Parks Range.

Last stop: Lichterfelde-West

Another S-Bahn stop, another slice of Lichterfelde. Actually, my favorite part of it, for its charming houses and tasty temptations.

Actually, I've started my journey here with a sugary stop at the Coffreez, a small place where people speak French inside the S-Bahn station - considered a Kulturalbahnhof, a cultural train station - for some salted caramel pancakes and a cappuccino. The rhythm of music resonated with the colourful painting and the coming and going of busy residents asking in different languages for their favorite type of coffee and sometimes a homemade piece of cake too.

In the front of the station, the fruits and vegetables stall surrounded by half-timbered houses add a note of small fairytale German village.

The style and decorations of the houses are one of a kind and are by far one of the most elaborated I've ever seen in Berlin. Compared to the massive opulent villas from Grunewald, for instance, in Lichterfelde West the houses are individualized by unique colours and shapes.

Walking around the area, step by step, reveals a lot of beautiful architectural creations that successfully passed the test of any time. 

The most popular villas are to be found on Baselerstraße, Potsdamerstraße, Kadettenweg and Ringstraße. If you are curious to taste some of the local cuisine - mostly classical German and Italian with a big offer of French wines - you may want to take a break on Curtiusstraße, where the gastronomic offer of Lichterfelde West is displayed in full splendor.

All of them were created in a style typical for the end of the 19th century and were aimed to offer elegant accommodation to rich families. Nowadays, even some of the inheritors of the old families are still living the same house of their ancestors, they split the space for allowing other people to come too, and eventually cover part of the big costs associated with the maintenance of such a real estate.

You can hardly find a villa similar to another, the styles covering a lot of geographical styles I've often encountered within the German-speaking realm. Wherever you turn your eyes, it looks like a never ending architectural beauty contest. Personally, I can hardly find one villa that I dislike. However, if you think about purchasing one, you need to save very hard, as the prices can elegantly reach the generous amount of 1,000,000 euro. Life is not fair, I know.

When my researches for the short guide of Lichterfelde ends and I know my time here is done, I have a little regret. After so many days spent exploring the streets and eyeing the villas, I was almost feeling as a local here. However, not local enough to afford living here. At least, I might want to come back again a couple of times, maybe for discovering some interesting restaurant and support the local shops.

For more travel stories, follow my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ilanatravels

A New Berlin Neighbourhood to Explore: Oberschöneweide

Caught in between the Köpenick with its lovely castle and old neighbourhood, where expats love to go rather than live, Treptow and Lichtenberg, Oberschöneweide is rarely on any radar, including for the locals. No museum, a lot of industrial spaces, the relatively out-of-time former communist neighbourhood, with old grey blocks of buildings, casino rooms and tattoo parlours. Except that as many other parts of this city, it is slowly changing, and getting - at least real-estate wise a facelife. I personally never cared about this part of my beloved Berlin until starting to work for some projects headquarters in some co-working spaces created in a former industrial facility. Week by week, my understanding and knowledge about this area changed and decided to explore it even more. At least for learning a bit more about the recent history of the area.  

The journey started at the S-Bahn Schöneweide, which is currently under various rehabilitation stages and hopefully will soon look less ugly. It is a typical 'old style' train station which was on the way adapted to some new modern facilities, with elevators out of order once in a while and some unpleasant odors welcoming the visitor. On the other side of the street, the red-bricked Michael-Brückner-Haus named after a former mayor of this neighbourhood, serves as the Citizens' Office. It looks neat and clean inside, the opposite of the messy train station.

After passing some Indian restaurants - Taj Mahal and Tandoor House, not necessarily authentic, but fully packed given their business hour offer - we wander on Spreestraße, with freshly painted colourful houses. At the beginning of the 20th century, Schoneweide and the adjacent areas were called 'Elektropolis' for the concentration of industries having to do with lightning and electricity, therefore the housing solutions were aimed at offering minimal conditions to the people working in the factories. Nowadays, many of those seem to be cheaply embelish before changing hands to new owners aimed to develop new - and expensier - living arrangements. 

When things are just too bad to be refurbished, they are flattened down and new constructions appear and the fever caught this part of the city as well. Nobody talks too much as for yet because everyone is busy purchasing or investing.

On the rivers of Spree, you can see on both sides, the former industrial facilities that are so much sought nowadays from artists, yoga trainers and doctors too to medium-sized companies hosted in the minimally refurbished industrial workshops.

During my around 15 minutes stop at the river, I've counted more than 5 small boats, speed boats, leisure boats crossing at high-speed the area, therefore there is a potential for entertainment too, with the small port of Kopenick, just a couple of bridges away. There is at least one hotel with a view over the river, which makes it a nice accommodation option, also given the proximity with Schönefeld airport and possibly withe much-praise-promised and never-achieved-as-for-now (yes, you were right, I am talking/reading/writing too much in German lately) Berlin Brandenburg Airport. Mostly, there are cheap options, but there is a direct S-Bahn line to the South of the city as well as to the central, touristic area of the city.

The architectural landscape is overcrowded but the boat traffic brings the human presence around which make things look more warm and friendly. Count also in the summer the lucky Berliners sunbathings on the shores or walking their dogs in the middle of the day.

One of the main industrial yards on one side of the Brückerstraße and down on Rheinbeckstraße is Rathenau Halle, with some supermarket, art workshops and music studios already settled. Big part of it is still looking for a destination for its locations. There were some plans for creating apartments, but as for now it is not crystal clear.

Most buildings are going through various transformations, but some typical industrial headquarters with a simple architecture are still maintained. 

In some locations, the ugly buildings hide funny and gay interior decorations, as in the case of the Café Schoneweile, packed with healthy-conscious customers.

I've gave a try to their lemon soup of the day - never had something so good, spicy and sparkling, with a milky consistence and satiating, before - and a bite of their homemade carrot cake. So bad they don't have lemonade, otherwise they are perfect (and a fast and friendly customer service too, plus a sand corner for the babies).   

A couple of meters away, one can visit an art collection and some industrial art at the Industriesalon. The hard, noisy work around promises even more surprises, but not sure what exactly to expect. 

The intensive post-industrial construction activities in this former industrial area are not to everyone's tastes and there are local initiatives pledging for keeping the shores green and free of buildings (Ufer Frei). As the free and fresh air of the city is concerned it makes sense, but some shores in this part of the city can be eventually re-designed to host more parks and walking facilities, while keeping the predominant green lanes.

On the other side of the crossing the former AEG Leuchtfabrik (Light factory) on Edisonstraße, in the 1920s the biggest in Europe, is bursting with life too: one wing is under construction, the other is intensively hosting various businesses. 

The setting remains industrial, either in the case of the Asian fast-food hosted in an old tram, or the fancy art studios holding photo sessions in rooms with white ceilings crossed by way too many black plumbing and cables.  

There is even a restaurant with a beautiful view over the river.

The bookstore near the Edisonstraße entry helps to update the bibliography in terms of local industrial history, with many thematic German books. As far as I've seen, it is the only source of books in the area, with the local library a couple of meters away from the train station.

During the industrial times, the crossing on Wilhelminenhofstraße used to separate the living area from the industrial factories, with the tram crossing the street, but nowadays the limits are less clear. The times have changed and like many other places in Berlin, Oberschoneweide is searching for a new identity.

As for now, you can hardly fine other interesting small boutique places outside the huge shopping area near the S-Bahn station and it is hardly too much to see and do. Not too many foodie temptations either, with most of the places to eat being fast-food oriented. But once in a while, you may see some appealing architectural details, but be careful enough to watch your steps, as there are many small streets in process of rehabilitation. 

Urban history and maybe a bit more is underway in Oberschöneweide and would love to keep an eye on this area in the near future...

For more travel stories, follow my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ilanatravels